Typical voicemail systems allow a user to record a custom voicemail greeting or select a predefined voicemail greeting that is to be played to a caller when the user is unavailable to answer an incoming voice call. A voicemail greeting typically provides some information, such as the name of the user and a message indicating the user's current unavailability, in audio form to the caller and prompts the caller to leave a voicemail message. Some voicemail systems are configured to change a voicemail greeting to identify the presence status of the called party. For instance, if the called party is in a meeting, the voicemail system would change the voicemail greeting to reflect that the called party is in the meeting.
With the advent of messaging services such as short message service (“SMS”), multimedia message service (“MMS”), and e-mail, people now have the ability to communicate in a variety of scenarios in which traditional voice calls would be unacceptable; for instance, when a person initiating a communication is in a meeting or is otherwise unwilling or unable to place a voice call. Conversely, these same messaging services often require the person initiating the communication to interact with a device, such as a cellular telephone, to input text via a physical or software keyboard. This diverts the person's attention from other tasks and therefore causes these messaging services to be unsuitable when a person is performing certain other tasks, such as driving. Due to the unsuitability of using messaging services while driving, legislation has been passed in several municipalities to illegalize the use of messaging services while driving.
In an effort to reduce the use of messaging services while driving, many service providers have begun to provide software applications that prevent users from accessing messaging features and others while driving. One such software application is AT&T DriveMode, available from AT&T Inc. of Dallas, Tex. (“DriveMode”). When an incoming communication such as an SMS, MMS, e-mail, or call is received by a device on which the DriveMode software application is executing, the DriveMode software application prevents any notification in the form of sound, vibration, or visual feedback so as not to distract the driver. DriveMode also causes the person initiating the communication to receive an auto reply message letting them know the driver is busy driving and will contact them at a later time.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.